Wirebound shipping package



Jan. 15 1924. 1,480,718

N'. A. FOWLER WIREBOUND SHIPPING PACKAGE Original Filed July 6, 1915 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESSES: l/Vl/E/VTOR Patented Jan; "15, 1924,

UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

NEIL A. FOWL E R, F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WIREBOUNDS PATENTS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

WIREBOUND SHIPPING PACKAGE.

Application filed July 6, 1915, Serial No. 38,178.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,- NEIL A. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful VVirebound Shipping Package, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a foldable blank, formed of comparatively in thin sheet material transversely reinforced by cleats, and connected by binding wire, in such manner as toproduce a substantially cylindrical or conical-frustum package, capable of carrying a comparatively heavy in load, the package being especially designed as a carrier for bananas in bunches, peaches, potatoes, tires, pottery, etc.

I The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention. Fig. 1 is a plan of the inner face of a blank constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 a plan of the outer face of the blank; Fig. 3 a perspective View of the completed package; Fig. 4 a fragmentary vertical section of the completed packa e; Fig. 5 a detail showing the condi tion 0 the parts in flat, partially folded, and completely folded, position; and Fig. 6 a perspective view of a suitable form of cleat for a conical frustum package.

In the drawings, 10 indicatesone of the body-sheets formed of veneer having edges substantially at right angles to its faces, and being comparatively narrow. Comparatively narrow strips will be necessary for,

:25 the formation of the package so that the completed package-will be nearly cylindrical.

, Each of the strips 1.0 has secured to its inner face one or more transverse cleats 11, each of said cleats having a maximum length equal 4:) to, or greater than, the width of the strip at that point and having its ends beveled at an angle corresponding to the number of cleats which are to be combined in a single series to form a closed figure. The cleats are most conveniently attached to the strips by means of staples '12 straddlin binding wires 13 and driven through the strip 10 into the cleat 11, in a manner common to this art.

Where a conical or pyramidal package is desired, the strips 10 will be tapered as indicated in Fi 1 and 2, if tight corners are desired, and t e ends of the cleats 11 may be correspondingly tapered as well as beveled, as shown at 11 in Fig. 6, although in practice this extreme accuracy is not neces- Renewed March 17, 1921. Serial 110.452,!!96.

sary, at least in packages where the difference in sizes of the two ends is comparatively small. In assembling the material for the blank, the strips 10 will be laid closely edge to edge, where tight corners are desired, and the cleats 11 will abut at their longest dimensions. The wire 13 will extend entirely across the several strips 10 and, as previously stated, there should be a considerable number of the cleats 11 in any series comparatively short, in making up the entire length of the blank. In the fiat, the partswill therefore occupy (the relative positions shown at the right in Fig. 5. In folding the blank, the parts will swing about the abutting ends of'the cleats 11, as indicated at X in Fig. 5, and, because the binding wire is firmly attached to the sections by means of the staples 12, the said wire, which should be of material capable of stretching without breaking, will become stretched, cutting to some slight extent only into the outer corners of the strips, so that, when the sections have been swung into a closed figure, the extended ends of the wires may be twisted together in the usual manner, thus forming a very rigid, but very light, package. A bottom 14 may be laid upon the lower cleats 11 and, if desired, the upper end of the package may be closed by a similar sheet.

It will be readily understood that binding wires 13 may be also applied to the strips at points other than where cleats are pro- 'vided, and, of course, when the article is folded, these wires will be similarly stretched, the strips swinging about their inner edges. l I am aware that. heretofore wirebound boxes have'been produced, comprising four cleated sections connected by wires, but in such a construction the sheet edges andcleat ends may not abut against each other because suchan arrangement would prevent folding. So far as I am aware, no package has heretofore been produced consisting of a comparatively large. number of com paratively narrow strips having cleats beveled at their ends to permit folding into a closed figure, with the sheets abutting along their-edges or the cleats abutting at their ends when in the flat or blank form.

lltwill be understood that when a package approaching a rounded form is desired the beveling of the cleats must be less than 45 relative to the usual square end cut, the exact 11 amount of beveling depending upon the number of cleats used in a series.

It will also be understood that laterally overlapping portions at the ends of the cleats may be provided, if desired, without modifying the cooperation of the parts.

I claim as my invention? 7 1. A wirebound package comprising a considerable number of comparatively narrow strips of thin material arranged with their edges abutting at their inner corners, each of said strips being provided with a transverse cleat having a maximum length substantially equal to the width of the sheet and having its ends beveled at an anglematerially less than 45, binding wires extended transversely across the series of strips and firmly attached thereto, said binding wires being extended beyond the series of strips to facilitate fastening.

2. A wirebound package comprising a considerable number. of comparatively narrow strips of thin material arranged with their edges abutting at their inner corners, each of said strips being provided with a transverse cleat having a maximum length" substantially equal to the width of the cleat and having its ends beveled at an angle materially less than 45, and binding wires ex tended transversely across the, series of strips and firmly attached thereto.

3. A wirebound package comprising a considerable number of comparatively narrow tapered strips arranged edge to edge,

with their wide ends together, said strips having their inner corners abutting'and bee ing and being comparatively thin, and a series of cleats attached to the inner faces about the package to hold the sections in of said strips transversely thereofand having their ends beveled upon a taper corresponding to the taper of the strips and at an angle materially less than 45, and binding wires extending transversely across the; series of strips and firmly attached thereto.

' 4. A wire-bound package comprising a considerable number of comparatively narrow strips arranged in parallel. a series of cleats attached to said sheets transversely thereof and having their ends beveled less than 45? and abutting at their maximum lengths and having lengths at least as great as the width of the strips to which they are attached, and binding wires extending transversely across the sections and firmly attached thereto.

5. A container having a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded form comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material and supporting cleats therefor, said cleats being constructed and arranged to resist compressive stress; and bindings encircling the parts and retaining them in container form.

6. A container having a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded form comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material and supporting cleats therefor, said cleats being constructed and arranged 4 to resist compressive stress; and bindings enends thereof cooperating to form supporting ribs and encircling binding' wire retaining the parts in form. Y

9. A container having a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded form comprising a plurality of sections of side material having individual cleats secured to ends thereof cooperating to form interior arch like ribs capable of resisting compressive stress, and binding wire encircling the sections to resist'expansive stress.

10. A wire bound package having a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded form comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material connected together by binding wire, cleats secured to ends of said sections, the ends of the cleats being bevelled and abutting against adjacent cleat ends to form a supporting rib to resist compressive stress, and the wires being tensioned package form.

11. A metal bound package having a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded form, supporting end frames therefor comprising a plurality of separate cleats or blocks having abutting ends and mutually supporting one another under compressive stress, and encircling bindings retaining the parts in form.

12. A metal bound package having a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded form, a sup-porting rib or frame thereforcomprising a plurality of cleats or blocks having abutting ends and mutually supporting one another under compressive stress, and a flexible binding secured to "the cleats and retaining the parts in form.

13. A metal bound package having a wall I of polygonal but approaching a rounded form, a tensioned binding and an internal supporting rib for said wall comprising a plurality of separate abutting cleats held together by said binding. 1

14, A metal bound package having a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded.

form, encircling tensioned' binding and internal supporting ribs for said wall comprising separate cleats or blocks arranged with abutting ends mutually supporting one another in arched form under compression exerted by the binding, said cleats in such formation tensioning the binding and the latter holding the wall in shape around the cleats.

15. A container comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material, cleats on said sections having bevelled abutting ends, the angles of the bevels being less than 45, the maximum lengths of said cleats being at least as great as the widths of the respective sections; and tensioned binding means encircling said sections and retaining said cleats in arched formation to provide a continual supporting frame for the side material.

'16. A container comprising a series of narrow strips of side material, transverse flexible binders secured to and flexibly connecting said strips, and cleats or blocks-on the inner faces of said strips; said wired and cleated strips being folded into form with the cleats abutting endwise at angles between 90 and 180. thereby tending to spread the strips and tension the binders, said abutting cleats being retained by the binders in arched formation to provide continuous internal supporting ribs.

17. A package comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material adapted to be folded into a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded form, supporting ribs,

therefor adapted to be folded into corresponding form and in such form to resistinward distortion, said ribs comprising a plurality of individual cleats adapted to abut. and mutually supporting one another against compressive stress; and bindings adapted to be tensionedby such folding and to retain the parts in package form.

18. A container blank comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material and cleats adapted to be folded into a polygonal but approaching a rounded form, said cleats being constructed and arranged to define the form of the container and to support the side material when the blank is folded into container form; and flexible bindings adapted to encircle the folded blank and hold the parts in container form.

hold the parts in container form when the blank is folded. I

20. A container blank comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material a port the side material when the blank is folded into container form; and flexible bindings secured thereto and adapted to be tensioned about the container when the blank is folded intocontainer form.

21. A container blank comprising a plurality of separate sections of side materialand cleats connected by metal bindings, the v side material and cleats of each section being so formed and positioned relative to each other and adjacent sections that the blank will fold into a container having a polygonal but approaching a rounded form and the metal bindings will be tensioned by the folding operation.

- 22. A package blank comprising a plurality of separate sections including side material and transverse reinforcing cleats and a flexible binder foldably connecting said sections, adjacent sections in the flat blank contacting at points on which the sections fulcrum in folding inwardly and formed to limit such inward folding to an angle between 90 and 180, said fulcrum located 'inwardly of the outer edges of the sections so that such folding will spread adjacent the binder.

23. A package blank of the class described comprising foldably related cleats or blocks, side material and a flexible binder secured to said cleats the blank being foldable into a package having a wall of polygonal but approaching a rounded form with. the cleats cooperating to form supporting frames for the side material, the form and relation ship of adjacent cleat ends on corresponding points of the binder being such that in folding the binder is tensioned between such. points.

24. A package blank comprising a plurality of sections of side material having interior transverse cleats and a flexible binder foldably connecting said sections, cleats of adjacent sections formed to abut e'ndwise when said sections are folded to an angle between and 180, the ends of adjacent cleats contacting at their outer corners'but separated at their inner corners when the blank is in the flat leaving such separations to be closed by the folding up of the blank whereby in folding the binder will be tensioned by relative spreading of adjacent edges of adjacent sections of side material.

25. A container blank comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material foldably connected by binding wire, separate bevelled-ended cleats secured to ends of form, said cleats cooperating to form inter or circumferential supporting ribs for the container.

26. A siding for a rounded container compnsmg a plurality of separate sections of side material, cleats secured thereto, and

having bevelled ends to define the form of the container when the siding is folded into "container form, and Wire bindings connectseparate sections of side material adapted to be folded into a polygonal but approaching a rounded form with cleats constructed and arranged to fold with the side material and support it against compressive stress; in securing flexible binders to said parts; in

" folding the resulting structure into box form and in completing the continuityof the binders. r

28. A method of making boxes which consists in assembling, in the flat, a plurality of separate sections of side material and cleats adapted to be folded into a polygonal but approaching a rounded form with the cleats constructed and arranged to define the formof the box and support the side material when folded into box form; in securing the side material and cleats together and flexible binders thereto; in folding the resulting structure into box form; and in completing the continuity ofthe' binders.

29. A method of making boxes which comprises assembling, in the flat, a plurality of se arate sections of side material and cleats a apted to be folded into a polygonal but approaching a rounded form with thecleats constructed and arranged to support the side material and separate the outer adjacent edges of said sect-ions when folded; securing flexible binders to the structure to resist ex-' pansion thereof and retain the parts in box form under tension when the structure is folded; folding thestructure into box form; and completing'the continuity of the bindin s.

%0. ii-container having the form of a pyramidal frustum comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material and supporting cleats therefor, said cleats being constructed and arranged to resist compressive stress; and-flexible bindings encircling the parts and retaining them in container form.

31. A container having the form of a pyramidal frustum comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material and supporting cleats therefor, said cleats being constructed and arranged to resist compressive stress; and flexible bindings, secured to the container and retaining the parts in form.

32. A Wirebound box comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material having cleats secured to ends thereof cooperating to form a supporting frame at either end of the box to resist compressive stress, the cleat frame atone end of the box being relatively smaller than the other cleat frame and the Width of the sections of side material bein 1 less at one end than at the other; and exible binders retaining the parts in box form.

33. A container blank-comprising a plurality of separate sections of side material and cleats connected together in cooperative foldable relationship by flexible binders; the side material and cleats of each section being so proportioned, constructed and arranged that the blank will fold into a container having the form of a pyramidal frustum with the cleats forming supports for the side material and the binders holding thev parts in container form. V

34. A wirebound box blank comprising a plurality of separate sections of straight edged side material and end cleats connected together in foldable relationship by flexible hinders, the sections being narrower at one end than at the other whereby the blank will fold into a box having the form of a pyramidal frustum.

35. A method of making boxes which consists in assembling, in the flat, a plurality of separate sections ofstraight edged side ma- NEIL A; FOWLER. 

